The Olympic football tournament saw Brazil and Germany's junior squads face off in a group-stage match. Brazil emerged victorious by a 4-2 scoreline with Everton striker Richarlison scoring a hattrick.
Just by looking at the names on both squad lists, it was obvious that Richarlison was the standout name. As Olympic football is an age-restricted tournament, no team could send their full complement of elite players. As a result, Richarlison is now one of two players in this Olympic tournament whom I consider to be far too good to be playing in it; the other is Spain midfielder Mikel Oyarzabal.
Interestingly, Richarlison's current situation at the Olympics somewhat mirrors his standing at his club. At 24, Richarlison is poised for a breakout season any time now; I fully believe that he has what it takes to make "the leap" and emerge as an elite striker. However, it is not likely that he would be able to do just that by remaining at Everton.
Although Richarlison scored just seven league goals last season, he did have a down year marked by a major goalscoring slump in the first half of the season. In the two seasons before that, he had 13 in both. Notably, those seasons were his age-22 and age-23 seasons; if his career progresses the way that most players' do, he has the potential to be a perennial 20-goal player and the focal point of the Seleção's attack when he hits his peak.
Furthermore, Richarlison is the type of striker who fits well within almost any team's system. For evidence, consider the difference between Brazil with Neymar leading the attack and Brazil with Richarlison doing so. When it's Neymar, Brazil's attack is often stagnant and one-dimensional with everything running through the PSG ace, for better or for worse. On the other hand, this doesn't happen when it's Richarlison. Brazil's attacking play is often crisp and smooth when it runs through Richarlison.
However, as of right now, he might very well be held back by his own club. After a strong start to last season, Everton only finished 10th in the Premier League and were knocked out of the FA Cup in the quarterfinals. This then leads to the question: if Richarlison were to leave Goodison Park, where should he go next?
Juventus is an intriguing possibility. Looking at Juve's current platoon of strikers, Cristiano Ronaldo is now 36, Paulo Dybala has fallen off a cliff and will probably never return to his peak level, and Álvaro Morata, as has so often been the case in his career, has failed to live up to his transfer fee. The stage is perfectly set for Richarlison to enter the picture and become the Bianconeri's next great striker.
Although not many Brazilian players make the move to the Bundesliga, he might end up being a good fit at RB Leipzig. Leipzig finished second in the league behind Bayern last season despite the fact that none of their players scored more than eight league goals. Should Richarlison's goalscoring form return to its level of the two full seasons before the previous one, he would fit right in and easily address this need.
If Richarlison were to remain in England, a move to Manchester City could be considered. The reigning Premier League champions won last season's league title in spite of the lack of goalscoring production they received from their strikers. Gabriel Jesus, Sergio Agüero, and Ferran Torres combined for just 20 league goals. City's lack of goalscoring punch up front could see them struggle to retain their league title. The acquisition of Richarlison would go a long way towards solving this problem.
Of course, it's certainly possible that a move to a big club this off-season might be too much too soon for Richarlison. Having never played for a contender for titles at club level, the biggest stages might yet prove to be a bridge too far for him. However, judging by his performances for Brazil to date, this is not likely to be a problem; he has stepped up on many an occasion against high-calibre opposition on the international stage and proven that he does seem to have what it takes.
If Brazil win gold and Richarlison dominates, do not be surprised to see him in a new club's kit at the beginning of next season.
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